The company plans to introduce three new iPhone models later this year which may include a considerably larger version of the iPhone X— the iPhone X Plus, perhaps — as well as a significantly less expensive version. It’s worth noting that price hasn’t been a major obstacle for the premium flagship so far; though it’s the priciest iPhone ever at $999, £999 or AU$1,579, the iPhone X was the best-selling phone for the first three months of 2018, followed by the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. Of course, a less expensive version would almost certainly broaden its addressable market. Six plus months after the iPhone X’s release, however, the phone has lost a bit of its initial sheen.

Though we’re likely two months out from seeing the next iPhone (and we don’t have any proof as to what its features will be), the rumor mill is already creating a compelling picture of what’s to come. We’ll continue to update this page with news and leaks as we begin our countdown to the 2018 Apple iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone X2, iPhone 11 or whatever the next generation may be called.

Also, check out our weekly iPhone news report to see all the latest iPhone news.

Editors’ note: This post was originally published on March 13, 2018, and will continue to be updated with news and rumors on the 2018 iPhone lineup.

2018 iPhones could be slower than Android phones

Qualcomm says it doesn’t expect to supply modems for any upcoming iPhones. In an earnings call with analysts, Qualcomm’s financial chief George Davis said “We believe Apple intends to solely use our competitor’s modems rather than our modems in its next iPhone release.” And by “competitors” he means Intel.

We’ll of course have to wait and see if this is actually the case when when we’ve had a chance to test the new phones later this year.

Rumor: That budget-friendly LCD iPhone might not ship until October

Apple’s rumored plan is to launch three new iPhones this year. Two with OLED screens and one using an LCD screen. While it’s assumed the two OLED models will ship in September, according to Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty, we might not see the LCD iPhone until October.

“We currently see no delay in the ramp of Apple’s upcoming flagship 5.8-inch or 6.5-inch OLED iPhones. However suspected issues with LED backlight leakage have caused a one-month delay in mass production of the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone, although this is down from a six-week delay baked into the original production forecast, according to suppliers.”

Those of us who want to save a few bucks on a 2018 iPhone may have to wait a bit longer before we take delivery.

Likely: September 2018 announcement and release date

Apple hasn’t officially announced when we’ll see the next phone. But the timing for this annual ritual has now hardened into a reliable tradition. After launching the first few iPhones in June, Apple shifted to the early September time frame with the iPhone 5 in 2012 and, apart from the off-cycle iPhone SE, has stuck to it since. No reason to expect this to change in 2018.

What comes after the iPhone X?

CNET

Rumor: It could be called the iPhone 11, iPhone X Plus, or the iPhone X2 — but probably not the iPhone 9

According to some analysts, Apple may revert to its “S” series nomenclature, giving us an iPhone XS (perhaps a fitting homophone to “excess”) and XS Plus or perhaps the numeric equivalent, with the X2.

That noted, there are some very rich design opportunities with the two ones of an iPhone 11. And then there’s the possibility of Apple doing away with numbers entirely — at least for the lower-end, non-X model — similar to the company’s approach with its entry-level tablet, which is now just the “new iPad” every year.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo backed up this claim in early July when he predicted the following specs for the 2018 iPhones: a 5.8-inch OLED iPhone, a 6.5-inch OLED iPhone Plus and a 6.1-inch affordable LCD iPhone.

Kuo speculates that the company’s 2018 iPhones will be based on the design of the today’s full-screen flagship. According to Jusy Hong, an analyst at Information Handling Services, all three new models (including the LCD one) could be expected to look similar to the iPhone X.

An alleged render of the iPhone X Plus shows three cameras on the back.

As reported by 9to5Mac.com, case maker Olixar has produced a prototype screen protector for a smaller iPhone with the slim bezels and notch found on the iPhone X. And this comes in the wake of purportedly leaked CAD drawings of a device called the iPhone SE2 published by TigerMobiles.com and Onleaks.

Rumor: iPhone support for the Apple Pencil or iPen

And OLED iPhone due out in 2018 will support an “iPen” device, according to investment firm Rosenblatt Securities. Of course, this rumor — an iPhone that supports the Apple Pencil — has been around since the stylus first debuted in 2015. And yet the new 2018 iPad’saddition of Apple Pencil functionality gives this old chestnut some new life.

The Apple Pencil.

James Martin

Long-shot rumor: Virtual fingerprint scanner

While Face ID has largely mitigated the need for a fingerprint scanner, the buzz around Touch ID embedded in the display — a trusty pillar of the rumor cycle since the run-up to the iPhone 8 — persists. And for good reason: we’ve seen the technology implemented. It’s called Clear ID and it’s featured in the Vivo X20 Plus UD that went on sale in China in January. But since reverting to any sort of fingerprint sensor would be an “admission” that Face ID isn’t the future, we think its return is a real long shot.